Amazon takes down ‘overpriced’ and ‘fake’ products that claim to kill coronavirus

Amazon said it’s taken down more than a million products that claim to treat coronavirus or help stop the spread of the virus.

The company has also banned thousands of merchants for charging “exorbitant” prices for disinfectants, face masks and other products, Mercury News reported.

“Amazon has always required sellers to provide accurate information on product detail pages and we remove those that violate our policies,” an Amazon spokesperson told the outlet.

Amazon begin reaching out to third-party sellers this week to tell them they were taking down listings for products that claim to treat or cure coronavirus, CNBC reported.

A spray disinfectant claimed that it could be used “against coronavirus” and met the Centers for Disease Control and Protection’s criteria, according to CNBC.

Peter Dornau, President and CEO of Star brite, the company that makes the disinfectant , told CNBC that Amazon took down the listing after the CDC statement was added by a third-party merchant.

Searching “coronavirus” on Amazon brings up results for disinfectant wipes, face masks, and books on viral infections, according to BBC.

The search also brings up vitamin C supplements, which the BCC reported was a “fake cure for the virus that has been widely disseminated online.”

The virus has killed over 2,800 people worldwide and infected more than 83,000 people in over 50 countries, according to CBS News. None of the deaths have occurred in the United States.

The World Health Organization upgraded the coronavirus risk on Friday to “very high,” CBS reported.